Storage tank



y 1936- J. L. GRAHAM 2,040,372

STORAGE TANK Filed Aug. 28, 1935 J. L. Graham;

Patented May 12, 1936 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STORAGE TANK Application August 28,1935, Serial No. 38,312

5 Claims.

This invention relates to tanks of the type used for storing oil and similar liquids, and more particularly to a guard adapted to be mounted in a storage tank over an outlet through which muck and settlement which collects in the bottom of the tank is to be drained, and one object of the invention is to provide a guard which is so constructed that it may be set in place over the drain pipe of the tank and vertically adjusted to dispose the guard in desired spaced relation to the bottom of the tank.

Another object of the invention is to so form the guard that any muck or settlement which settles upon the guard will readily move downwardly thereon toward its margins and pass out through the drain pipe when a valve or other closure for the drain pipe is opened or removed. v

Another object of the invention is to provide the guard with means for engaging in the drain pipe and thus prevent the guard from moving out of its proper position over the drain pipe in concentric relation thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guard of conical formation having an opening at its apex and thus prevent likelihood of air being trapped in the guard when the tank is filled with oil.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a sectional view showing the improved guard resting upon the bottom of a tank over the drain pipe.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the guard.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary View taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

The tank, which is indicated in general by the numeral I, may be of any dimensions desired and has a bottom 2 at the center of which is formed an outlet 3 surrounded by a depending annular flange 4 which is internally threaded in order that a drain pipe 5 may be screwed into engagement with this flange. The drain pipe 5 is preferably of an internal diameter corresponding to the diameter of the outlet opening 3 and of suitable length to extend from the tank to the place at which muck and other settlement is to be disposed of. A valve, plug, or other closure may be provided for the drain pipe and it will be readily understood that when the valve is opened or the plug or other closure removed, settlement will flow from the tank through the drain pipe and good oil then follow the settlement through the pipe, at which time the valve will be closed or the removable closure replaced.

The guard 6 is formed of sheet metal of any desired thickness and is of a flattened conical formation. Downwardly tapered arms 1 depend 5 from the guard at opposite sides of its apex, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, and are spaced from each other a sufiicient distance to permit them to extend through the opening 3 into the drain pipe when the guard is in position. By having 10 the arms tapered, they may easily enter the drain pipe, it being understood that the dimensions of the arms will be such that they may easily enter the drain pipe even when the guard is spaced only a very short distance above the 15 bottom of the tank. It should also be noted that an opening 8 has been formed in the apex of the guard in order that air may escape from under the guard when the tank is filled with oil and thus prevent air from being trapped under the guard. The guard is to be supported in predetermined spaced relation to the bottom of the tank and in order to do so there has been provided a plurality of posts 9 which are in the form of threaded rods having heads It] at their 25 lower ends. These heads have rounded under faces which rest upon the bottom of the tank and above the heads are formed enlargements I l providing shoulders serving to limit downward movement of the guard. While four of the posts 30 or threaded stems have been shown, it will be obvious that any other number desired may be used according to the dimensions of the guard. These posts or stems extend through threaded openings I2 formed in cars l3 which project 35 radially from margins of the guard and by tuming the posts the guard may be vertically adjusted and supported in desired spaced relation to the bottom of the tank. The guard may be supported at some distance above the bottom of the tank or the posts may be rotated to thread them through the ears l3 to such an extent that the ears will rest upon the shoulders at the upper ends of the enlargements II and thus dispose margins of the guard very close to 45 the bottom of the tank. Usually the guard will be disposed from two to four inches above the bottom of the tank and thus provide ample room for muck and settlement to pass under margins of the guard and into the drain pipe when the valve of the drain pipe is opened.

When this guard is in use it is set in place over the drain pipe with the arms 1 extending through the outlet 3 into the drain pipe and the posts resting upon the bottom of the tank. The posts may be adjusted either before or after the guard has been set in place and will support it at a desired distance above the bottom of the tank. The tank'is filled with oil or other liquid and settlement in the oil will gravitate to the bottom of the tank where it will collect. When it is desired to remove settlement from the'tank, the valve of the drain pipe is opened and as the pipe leads from the. bottom'of the tank at the center thereof, the settlement at-the bottom of the tank'will first flow through the drain pipe. In view of the V 'fact'thatthe guard is disposed over the drain pipe, the settlement will move toward the-drain pipe from margins of the guard and the oil will be prevented from whirling inthe tank'; It -will" thus be seen that the settlement will'drain out of the tank before the good oil enters the drainpipe and the operator may close the valve as soon as good oil starts to flow from the drain pipe and prevent waste of the good oil. The fact that the guard is of a flat conical formation will cause thesettlement deposited thereon to slide alongrthe upper face of the guard toward marginal edges thereof and a thick accumulation .of settlement prevented. When the tank is to be cleaned after having been emptied, the guard may be very N easilyremoved and replaced after the'cleaning operation has been completed.

Having thus described the invention; what is claimed as new is: i

1.'An outlet guard comprising a conical body open at-its bottom and having a vent opening at its apex, ears projecting from margins of the body, supporting posts for the body disposed vertically and threaded-through the openings of' said ears, said posts having heads at their lower ends and enlargements above the heads defining V shoulders for engagement by the ears to limit 7 downward movement'of the body upon the posts when; the posts are rotated to vertically adjust the body, anddepending arms disposed vertically underthe body with their upper ends fixed to thebody, they arms being spaced transversely from each other at opposite sides of the apex and taperedtoward their lower ends whereby lower 7 portions of the arms may be engaged in an outlet formed in the bottom of a tank and hold the, guard in position over the outlet with the posts resting upon the bottom of the tank. 7

2. A guard for an outlet of 'a tank adapted to'be disposed over the outlet in concentric relation thereto, said guard comprising a conical body open at its bottom and formed with a vent opening in its apex, arms depending from the body for engaging in anoutlet formed in the bottom of a tank--and holding the guard-in-concentric relation thereto, lugs carried by marginal portions of the-body, and posts threaded through the lugs whereby the posts may be vertically adjusted throughthe lugs and rest upon the bottom of a tank with the guard in predetermined verticalv spacedrela-t'ion to the bottom of the tank.

3. A guard for an outlet formed in the bottom of a receptacle,- said guard comprising a body having ears carried by its marginal portions, posts disposed vertically and threaded through said ears for resting upon the bottom ofa receptacle and supportingrthe'guard in predeter- V mined vertical spaced relation thereto, .and arms carried byvsaid body and extending downwardly therefrom 'forengaging in the outlet of the fretainingthe guard concentric theretdand posts" extending vertically and threaded through the body for maintaining the body' in vertical spaced 5' relation to the bottom of the'receptacle.

5.'A guard comprising a body, arms fixed" to and depending from the body for engaging in'an outlet in the bottom of .a receptacle'andl main adjustably connected with the body for supporting the body in vertical'spaced relation to the bottom of the receptacle.

JACK L GRAHAM.

ceptacle and maintaining-theguard concentric taining the guard over the outlet; and supports 

